In the medical field, introduction sheaths, such as, e.g., endoscopes, are now widely used for diagnostic or therapeutic procedures of various diseases. Endoscopes generally take the form of a long, flexible tube, including a light conductor along with one or more channels for inserting various medical instruments. Typically, the endoscope is inserted into a patient's body through an incision or natural orifice. Within the body, these instruments allow for minimally invasive surgery, providing platforms for employing numerous tools, such as devices to grasp, clip, sever, and/or remove objects from inside the body, as well as devices to illuminate and view the surgical field.
Accurately positioning the tip of an endoscope at a precise location within a patient's body can pose a problem. Conventional instruments require considerable effort from large muscle groups such as wrists, elbows, and arms, and the manual effort required for moving the instruments from one site to another can be a factor during a given procedure. Moreover, the length and size of conventional equipment increases the complexity of the entire system. Indeed, two operators are often required; one for managing one Degree of Freedom (DoF) that defines various instruments' movements such as in/out, rotation, while another manages the endoscope and shaft of the tool. Additionally, the endoscopes are not capable of providing an angled approach or divergence to the instruments to direct the instrument toward a particular area inside the body. The existing systems do not allow physicians to manipulate the instruments inside the patient's body without a significant physical effort on the physician's part. Thus, a system that significantly reduces the physician's physical effort during a medical procedure is desirable.